You might or might not know this about me… but each year I like to visit Findhorn for a Winter Solstice Ceremony.
I love knowing the intentionality put into setting up the Universal Hall for the ceremony… a ceremony all of its own… a group of people coming together and dancing an evergreen spiral into being, crafting an earth altar, placing a globe on a table for candles to represent bringing light to the world, carefully placing angel cards. Last year I had the absolute honour and privilege of being part of the group who set up the space.
Each year, in the depths of the darkness, walking the spiral feels magical… the hushed silence in the hall, the scent of the evergreens, the elements of nature brought from outside, the twinkling candles all around. Pausing first to sit, meditate, observe as each person steps contemplatively into the spiral with their unlit candle; walking inwards whilst reflecting on the time since the previous Yule; pausing at the centre to light their own candle from the central candle as they mark this moment in the wheel of the year, turning back towards the light; before slowly walking out of the spiral whilst opening to the year ahead. It’s a beautiful way of honouring the wheel of the year, of being present to what is, of opening to what wants to be known.
To me, walking the spiral feels like one ritual, with several other rituals forming the ceremony…
A ritual to bring light to the world, by placing the candle I've carried in the spiral under a globe… lighting the world... I love the symbolism of this… of each of us bringing our light and our love, in order to light and love the world.
And then, for me one of the most exciting rituals, is to ‘divine’ my angel for the year ahead. I usually walk around the table a couple of times, until one of the wee angel cards catches my eye… usually it’s lit up…. glowing… calling for my attention. In 2022 I received ‘Joy’, in 2023 ‘Inspiration’, in 2024 ‘Healing’. Often when I receive my angel for the year, I think ‘of course! That makes perfect sense'… because it's been coming towards me in the weeks leading up to this moment!
The final ritual is to spend time with nature, with the earth… sitting on the ground at an earth altar covered with feathers and rocks, shells and twigs, moss and lichen and all manner of nature’s gifts, exploring with my senses all that nature is. Remembering that I too am nature… I too am one of nature’s gifts!
As I write, I wonder which angel will journey with me in year ahead… which angel will over-light my year. Remembering that often my angel for the year is already present in some way before the angel card comes, makes me wonder if this year’s angel will be Wisdom, with all the owls I’m seeing everywhere! Read more about that in my next LOVE LETTER (sign up before 21 December 2024).
And, if you’d like to join me in walking the spiral, consider this an invitation…
Create your spiral…
Setting your intention to mark the Winter Solstice create a spiral… perhaps a double spiral (like the one at Findhorn) with two spirals which spiral together, providing a pathway in and a pathway out. It can be as big or small as you want, have as many turns as you wish.
Perhaps you’ll use evergreen branches (asking the trees of course if they’re willing to give)… perhaps you’ll gather stones and make a spiral on the beach… maybe you’ll draw a spiral in the sand or on the earth in chalk or charcoal… maybe you’ll create a seed sprinkled spiral or pour water to create the spiral...
If your spiral isn’t made of evergreens, you might want to add some essential oils, maybe fir and pine, to invite your sense of smell into the experience.
You could decorate the entrance and exit with something beautiful to mark the thresholds of the spiral.
You might want to place a lit candle or a fire to represent the returning sun at the centre and place an unlit candle at the entrance of the spiral (candles may need to be in hurricane lamps if you’re outside).
You could create an altar honouring the earth and all of nature, near to the exit of your spiral, or if you’re creating your spiral outside, know you can pause and take time to appreciate nature.
You may want to have something to represent the earth… somewhere you can take your lit candle to represent bringing light to the world.
And perhaps you want a tool of divination – cards, runes, or whatever calls to you.
And now all is created… an invitation to pause, to standstill (the meaning of solstice) and bless your creation asking that walking your spiral may serve you in all the ways.
Walk the spiral…
You might choose to meditate before beginning your spiral walk... your pilgrimage…
When you’re ready, stand at the entrance, gather your unlit candle and intentionally step over the threshold into the spiral. Taking the journey inward you might put your focus on the last Winter Solstice to this Winter Solstice… walking slowly and meditatively reviewing your year past.
At the centre, maybe pause a while (standstill again) feeling gratitude for all that’s been (both the light and, if it feels possible, the dark, in your year) and light the candle you have carried, from the candle or fire in the centre of the spiral, bringing back the light. Take a moment to welcome the returning light before turning and walking slowly… meditatively out of the spiral looking towards your year ahead… wondering at the possibility of it… opening to what it wants to be… to what you may be called to…
At the exit of the spiral again pause (standstill) to step intentionally over the threshold, before visiting nature, the earth altar and perhaps calling in the angels to support you with your year ahead. If you’ve chosen to you might also open to guidance using a tool of divination. If you’d like a Findhorn angel card, you can invite one to come to you HERE
And you may want to close with another short meditation… sending love and light to the world… to humanity… to all beings… to nature… giving thanks for our beautiful earth… and this gift of life.
May your Solstice Spiral Ceremony be blessed!
♡ Jo
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